Mumbai: Free 35th Road of potholes once and for all, say Khar locals

The pothole-ridden 35th Road at Khar Gaothan on Tuesday. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Locals at Khar Gaothan, also known as Old Khar, are unhappy about the state of a street, 35th Road, that they claim is always riddled with potholes despite various crater-filling exercises by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). They have demanded that the road be repaired permanently.

Prasad Rege, an Old Khar resident, said, "The BMC converted 7th Road, which connects PD Hinduja Road to 35th Road, into a cement concrete one a few years ago. But it did not repair 35th Road which goes through Khar Goathan. They just fill potholes, which are formed again a few days later.

The stretch from Rizvi Baug building to Chinaiwadi is the worst. Every few months, the BMC temporarily fixes potholes but its measures last only for a few weeks. This patch of road is in a horrible condition." Also the similar condition. The BMC should repair this road as they did with 7th Road."

Also Read: Mumbai: Create play area beneath flyover, say Kamala Raman Nagar residents

Fabian Gigool, another local, said, "There is a well-known clothing market here from where readymade garments are distributed throughout India." He added, "This bad patch is not only inconveniencing residents but also businessmen. The road has never been properly repaired."

Titas Gouria, another resident, said as there is no proper drainage system, every year waterlogging is witnessed. "This patch is around 150 to 170 metres long. Forget about motorists, even pedestrians can't walk properly on it," he said. Former local corporator Swapna Mhatre said, "I'm aware of the condition of the road.

I had requested road department officials to look at this stretch while they were repairing 7th Road before the pandemic. I'm following up on the matter to get the street repaired soon. The road department has included this road for repair work." Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ulhas Mahale did not respond to mid-day's calls.

170
Approximate length of road in metres